Should the Capitals fire Barry Trotz?

[Alexander the Gr8]

The Caps should strap Ovechkin's ass to a rocket and fire him straight back to Moscow.

 

[KevinRedkey]

San Jose and Washington are proof there's no actual formula to winning a cup, other than needing random depth guys to score important goals. The Pens got it from Rust. The Caps didn't. That was the difference maker, and it's not like acquiring Rust is the answer. You can't fix that. It just happens.

 

[I am toxic]

I feel like it's slight over-reaction..

1) Pens are defending champs. Caps didn't lose to a bad team.

2) Caps were a couple bounces(inches) away from everyone talking about them moving on.. So a slight flick of the wrist difference completely changes how people view them?

This. Well said.

Pens eliminated Columbus in 5. If Pens repeat as SC champions, and Sens/Preds or Ducks don't take them to 7 games, it would be pretty clear that this was the SCF, same as last year when these two teams met.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

The Caps were outgoaltended, but they definitely need to rework the roster. That said you also need consistency in coaching otherwise you're just the Oilers.

 

[Hivemind]

It would take some serious development from players like Chandler Stephenson and Riley Barber for them to emulate what Sheary, Rust, and Guentzel have done for Pittsburgh. Vrana could possibly step in and produce, but he's also been a healthy scratch for Hershey due to his play away from the puck frustrating Mann. Sanford was a bit closer to being an NHL contributor than Stephenson or Barber (although had yet to demonstrate being much more than a warm body in the NHL ranks), and was traded away in the Shattenkirk deal. If they could convince Gersich to turn pro late in the summer, like they did with Sanford last year, maybe he could be the diamond in the rough type.


Emulating what Pittsburgh has done with their youth is simply difficult. It takes a lot of luck to get it right. I'm not convinced the Capitals have the pieces to do it.

 

[Brewsky]

They should really just bring back HANTA YO BABY RON WILSON.

Only coach to get that franchise to the finals with a worse team than what they have now.

HANTA YO!

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

I am at a loss with the Caps. It's not worth blowing up, but there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for them. They are going to go from an awesome roster to just a good roster in the next few years. This was the year.

 

[awesomo]

should they fire trotz?

you mean should they trade ovechkin

 

[Jaded-Fan]

should they fire trotz?

you mean should they trade ovechkin

Can they even trade him? The Ovechkin that I saw was not worth the $9.5 million per year that he gets, and it should only get worse in coming years. I suppose someone would take him even at that, but it is an overpay for what you are getting.

 

[Hivemind]

should they fire trotz?

you mean should they trade ovechkin

These two items are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Ovechkin for the Sedin Twins

 

[Guardian17]

I would not fire the coach, I would trade Ovetchkin and reload.

 

[txpd]

There was nothing that happened last night that a big night from Mr Game 7 couldn't have fixed. Even he failed. Its the franchise and the weight of its history of failure. Not a given player or coach. With Williams and his failure to make a play last night in mind, who thinks that Sutter can carry that weight over the line?

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Fire the core before firing Trotz

 

[txpd]

I would also project we will hear that Ovechkin has been carrying around a knee injury much of the season that was only made worse by the Kadri hit.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

How do they not fire Trotz?

He looks nervous as crap on the bench during the playoffs as does his team. He's had numerous tries with a number of rosters to advance beyond round 2 and he just can't get it done. After 3 straight playoff disappointments with the Caps, what could be the reason to risk disappointment #4? Dismissing him seems like the ultimate no brainer.

He's only got one year left at $1.5 million and someone else will grab him, so it's a revenue neutral move.

 

[m00]

trade ovi, Fire Trotz

 

[Veritas0Aequitas]

Keep Trotz, trade OV.

 

[frederixx]

Trotz is not to blame here. Ovi hasn't done anything wrong either. But let's face it, Trotz is not the Caps, Ovi is. You can't just come in and chance the mentality of core that has been together for too long. They got them Oshie and Williams but it's not enough. It's time to get them a new leader, a new captain.

So you either trade Ovi or trade for a new captain and true leader (a la Weber).

 

[Kirikanoir]

This. Well said.

Pens eliminated Columbus in 5. If Pens repeat as SC champions, and Sens/Preds or Ducks don't take them to 7 games, it would be pretty clear that this was the SCF, same as last year when these two teams met.

How was last years Pittsburgh vs Washington series the SCF when Tampa took Pittsburgh to seven games and Washington was eliminated in 6 games?

 

[NebraskaPensFan]

Can they even trade him? The Ovechkin that I saw was not worth the $9.5 million per year that he gets, and it should only get worse in coming years. I suppose someone would take him even at that, but it is an overpay for what you are getting.

Ovechkin would sell jerseys and put butts in seats in a market that needs an injection, even if he's not as great as his former self. Not saying it would happen, but say OV goes to Arizona or Vegas. That 9.5 million contract pays for itself. So from a purely business/marketing perspective it'd be a solid pick-up from such a team.

 

[NastyNick]

I think fixing the Caps is a simple, yet important few steps.

Don't fire the coach. Don't change the roster (if you can help it). Strip Ovechkin of the "C" and put it up for grabs at camp. Let the room decide who they want to lead it. Maybe it ends up being Ovechkin after all. But they have to decide that.

Use the regular season to build character, not just amass points. Bring youth from the farm in to gain experience and evaluation. Play with intensity - block shots, sacrifice, and when injured learned to push through adversity. The Capitals have been the luckiest team when it comes to injury - and i don't think that is a coincidence. Their style of play just doesn't expose them to risk.. nor does it prepare them for the playoffs mentally.

Its very likely they'll still make the playoffs - but as a lower seed. And that is a good thing. They need to be overlooked as underdogs. Maybe they can get seeded in the Atlantic and avoid the Pittsburgh-Rangers showdown.

At the end of the day their problems are all mental. They have experience - but only bad experience.

 

[Allie Kitsune]

If anybody needs to be removed from the Capitals, it's Ted Leonsis.

 

[illpucks]

Trotz has been in NHL 17 seasons - never made it past Round 2

 

[ForeverDrought]

At this point blaming the coach seems absolutely laughable.

Pretty much this.

Look at the men with the "C" and "A" on their jersey. They were nearly invisible last night.

That is why I said Ovi and Backstrom are not winners. It showed once again with that terrible performance in game 7.

I'm watching that game last night and actually feel sorry for the Caps fans. I mean, that is absolutely soul crushing going out with a whimper like that.

Once Ovi is gone (or the "C" is stripped off his jersey), that team will take on a different persona. I hope they do win a cup someday.